Three Port Stephens families affected by Cystic Fibrosis will benefit from a Blue Water country music weekend show.
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Port Stephens singer Lee J Collier has organised a Nashville-style songwriters in the round gig as part of the country music weekend, inviting Tamworth friends The Crosby Sisters – Jodie and Kelly Crosby – and Wendy Wood to perform with her.
“This is a very special gig for me,” Ms Collier said. “This is the first time that all of us have been on stage together and we’re raising money for three Cystic Fibrosis families in the Nelson Bay area.”
Funds raised from the gig at Nelson Bay Bowling Club on Sunday will be donated to Joshua Taylor, aged 4 months, Cassie Wood and Tylah Harrison, 15.
Joshua’s parents, Taylah Buddle and William Taylor, are raising funds to buy a $15,000 vest which will help shake lose the mucus that builds up on the baby boy’s lungs and stomach.
Financial assistance will also be provided to Cassie, daughter to singer Wendy, who was recently discharged from a week-long stay in John Hunter Hospital due her CF and to Tylah, who also lives with the disorder.
Ms Collier has been an advocate for Cystic Fibrosis Australia since 2000, the year she became a Star Maker grand-finalist.
“Afterwards Kelly Crosby said to me ‘you gotta get out there with your music Lee’,” she said.
Because of her name, Ms Collier had been referred to as ‘that Lee J Hooker woman’. It gave her an idea for her first album cover.
“I thought to use an LJ Hooker real estate sign on the front cover of my debut country cabaret CD,” she said.
“I told LJ Hooker that I would donate part of the proceeds of the CD to whatever charity they supported and they said it was Cystic Fibrosis Australia.
“Their marketing person sent me all the information about Cystic Fibrosis including the 65 roses story.”
The story is about the parents of a little boy telling him that his sister has CF. The boy does not understand what this is and asks: “why does she have 65 roses?”
“I wrote a song about it that night,” Ms Collier said. “I sang 65 Roses down the phone to Wendy Wood, as she is a songwriter and has a daughter with Cystic Fibrosis.
“Wendy has also written a song about Cystic Fibrosis called Life and Breath. The Crosby Sisters are the reason I wrote 65 Roses. You’ll have to come to the gig to hear why!”
Ms Collier has been invited to sing 65 Roses with the Texas Medical Centre Orchestra in the US in 2019. She will also re-release the song.
Rotary will be selling raffle tickets at the Nelson Bay Bowling Club show. Port Stephens businesses have donated prizes for the raffle.
Tickets to the show, which will run between 3pm and 6pm on Sunday, cost $20 for adults and $10 for children aged 6 to 17. They are on sale now from the club.
“This is going to be a really special afternoon and I know country music fans are going to really enjoy our program,” Ms Collier said.
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Ellie-Marie Watts
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
